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September 11, 2011

9/11 in Oslo

The scene round the Domkirke in Oslo is still very moving. Maybe all the more poignant now the first wave of emotional reaction to Utøya has passed, and the little clumps of red roses, messages, pictures, kids toys and Norwegian flags outside the Cathedral are starting to look a bit bedraggled and wilted. It's municipal election time here and people are voting today and tomorrow (Monday) to decide if the Arbeidspartiet (Labour) will take control in Oslo for the first time in 60/70 years. There are loads of youngsters canvassing energetically with red Labour t-shirts across town – the group I spoke to were from Sweden. It's so sad watching these active, earnest teenagers bending to read the messages for friends who were killed last month – seeing them makes you realise just how young and perky Breivik's victims really were. It's the anniversary of 9/11 today, and the Norwegians should take comfort from the knowledge that their calm reaction has dampened extremism instead of fuelling it (the Far Right Party is expected to do very badly).

Of course Norwegians – unlike the Americans -- can at least rest happy that the perpetrator of Utøya is behind bars and represents no further threat. Apparently since Breivik was seen wearing a Lacoste shirt, it's become completely un-cool to be seen wearing anything with that brand name. But there's also fierce debate about why this mass killer should be allowed to wear his own gear in jail. And police have detonated a second bomb at his farm that was even bigger than the one in central Oslo which exploded two streets from the Folkuniversitaten where I take my weekend Norwegian classes.

I suppose where there's debate there's life and where there's life, there's hope.